Professor Ogechi Adeola
Professor Adeola is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic of the University. She is also the immediate past Head of the Department of Operations, Marketing, and Information Systems at the Lagos Business School (LBS), Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria, and the Academic Director of LBS Sales Academy.
Professor Ogechi Adeola holds a Doctorate in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from Alliance Manchester Business School, United Kingdom. She earned a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Nigeria and obtained a Barrister at Law certificate from the Nigerian Law School, after which she was called to the Nigerian bar.
She previously held the position of Associate Dean of Business Administration at the University of the People, California, USA, where she currently serves as a Business Administration Advisory Board member.
She is an Independent Non-Executive Director at Cornerstone Insurance Plc, Nigeria, and she served as a member of the Board of Directors at the University of Kigali until her appointment as Deputy Vice Chancellor-Academic. She possesses over 28 years of relevant work experience in industry and academia. Before transitioning to academia, she had spent over a decade in various roles within Nigeria’s financial sector, starting her career at Citibank Nigeria.
Professor Adeola’s pursuit of professional excellence is evident in her completion of executive education programmes at globally renowned institutions, including Harvard Business School, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, London Business School, and Cranfield School of Management.
She further enhanced her pedagogical skills through specialised training in case teaching and teaching innovation programmes of Harvard Business Publishing Education, IESE Business School, Spain, the Global Business School Network (GBSN), and Teaching the Practice of Management joint programme of the Association of African Business Schools and the Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Her interdisciplinary research interests span marketing strategy, sustainability, tourism, and gender studies, with a particular focus on projecting the dynamics of African business concepts and practices.
She has authored, co-authored, edited, and co-edited over 120 academic and practitioner articles, books, conference papers, and business and marketing case studies. Her scholarly contributions have been published in top-tier journals with ABS 3, 4, and 4* rankings from the Chartered Association of Business Schools (ABS), including the Industrial Marketing Management, Tourism Management, Annals of Tourism Research, and Journal of International Business Studies.
Her co-authored papers also won Best Paper Awards at international conferences in 2016-2019, consecutively, and the prestigious Emerald Literati Award for Outstanding Paper in 2022.
The January 2024 Alper-Doger Scientific Index ranks her as the No. 1 scientist in Nigeria for Marketing, No. 6 scientist for Business and Management in Nigeria, and among the top scholars in Africa for both fields. SciVal (Elsevier) also ranks her among the top 100 authors in Nigeria across all subject areas from 2020 to 2023.
Beyond research, Professor Adeola is renowned for her teaching and mentoring. She has led marketing sessions on the full-time and Executive MBA programs, the Owner Managers Program, and customised and open enrollment seminars at Lagos Business School, since 2010.
Additionally, she has delivered marketing sessions for the Women Entrepreneurship & Leadership for Africa (WELA) programme by the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Lagos, the MSc programme at the University of Ghana Business School, and the PhD programme at the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA).
She has served as an External Moderator (MBA Programme) at the University of Free State Business School, South Africa, and as an External Examiner (PhD program) at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST), Ghana; Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), South Africa; and Strathmore University, Kenya.
She was a 2016 Visiting International Fellow at the Open University Business School, UK, a 2017 Paul R. Lawrence Fellow, USA, and serves as a Series Editor for the Palgrave Series on Marketing in Emerging Economies.
In consultancy, Professor Adeola has offered her expertise in strategic marketing and brand management, intra-regional advisory, and gender equity services to numerous organisations.
As part of the Alpha Team at the Centre for Global Enterprise, USA, she provided virtual consultancy to international companies, including the London Taxi Company, UK (2015); Texas Capital Bank, USA (2018); and Dusit International (Dusit Thani), Thailand (2021).
She is a Consultant for Afreximbank, focusing on the African Sub-Sovereign Governments Network (AfSNET) Initiative, and also provided consulting services to the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) on the 2022 ‘Building Africa Report’ focused on women’s inclusion in the Cement, Concrete & Construction industry.
In 2022, she served as the National Consultant for an International Labour Organization project promoting women’s economic empowerment in Nigeria.
Additionally, she is the founder of the Digital Business Tutelage for Women Empowerment in Africa Initiative (DBTWEAi), a non-profit platform designed to enable young African women to unlock their potential. Her contributions to women’s empowerment were recognised with the prestigious Female Achievers Recognition Award in March 2022, co-hosted by American Corner in Lagos, and in June 2023, she was honored with The Peak Performing Woman of the Year 2023 Award in the Super Achievers category for Executive Education by The Peak Performer.
Professor Adeola is a Fellow of both the Institute of Strategic Management, Nigeria, and the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria.
PROFESSIONAL/OTHER CERTIFICATES:
- Certificate of Completion: London Business School, Sustainability Leadership and CorporateResponsibility (2024)
- Certificate of Completion: Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Crisis Management for Leaders: Planning for the Inevitable (2023)
- Certificate of Completion: Harvard Business School. Completing in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (2023)
- Certificate of Completion, Harvard Business Publishing Education. Teaching with Cases: Engage, Energize, and Challenge Your Students (2023)
- Special Certificate of Achievement. The Global Business School Network (GBSN). 2022 Teaching Innovators Program
- Certificate of Training, USAID Engendering Industries Workforce Accelerated Program Training of Trainers Course (2021)
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Certificate Programme, International Council for Small Business (ICSB). (2021)
- Certificate of Completion, Platform Business Models, Management & Strategy provided by The Center for Global Enterprise, USA (2018)
- Certificate of Completion, International Faculty Program (IFP), IESE Business School, Barcelona, Spain (2015)
- Certified Sales and Marketing Manager, American Institute of Management Studies, (2014)
- Certificate in Internet Marketing, Faculty of Commerce, University of Cape Town, (2012)
- Developing General Management Potential (DGMP), Cranfield School of Management, U.K. (2008)
- Senior Management Programme (SMP), Lagos Business School, Nigeria (2007)
- Certificate of Completion, Flexcube Functional Training, Flexcube Centre of Learning, Mumbai, India (2006)
ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIPS:
- Associate, Gender, Entrepreneurship and Social Policy Institute (GESPi), U.K.
- International Member, Service Research and Customer Experience Group, University of Westminster, UK
- Member, Board of Trustees, Manchester Business School Alumni Association (Nigeria)
- Fellow, Institute of Strategic Management Nigeria (ISMN)
- Fellow, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN)
HONOURS AND DISTINCTIONS
- Most Influential Women 2024, Sustainability Award. World Association for Sustainable Development
- Awardee, 50 Heroines Award in honor of Women’s History Month 2024. African Policy Conversations
- The Peak Performing Woman of the Year, 2023 – Super Achiever Category (Executive Education). Peak Performer, Nigeria
- Best Faculty Advisory – Full-time MBA 2022, Lagos Business School
- Female Achiever Award, Women Leadership Conference 2022, hosted by American Corner, Ikeja, Lagos and other women-focused organisations (March 08, 2022).
- Emerald Literati Award 2022 for Outstanding Paper. Banking Marketing Services to financially vulnerable customers – evidence from an emerging economy. Published in International Journal of Bank Marketing
- 2022 Core Value Champion Award, in appreciation of the spirit of service in the school, Lagos Business School
- 2021 Certificate of Recognition Award in appreciation of the spirit of service in the school, Lagos Business School
- Best Paper Award at the 12th MBAcademy International Conference on Management Businesses Organisation and Innovation (IMBAC2019), (Athens, Greece, Spain, 2019).
- 2019 Spirit of Service Award for exceptional service performance, Lagos Business School
- Best Paper Award at the 11th MBAcademy International Conference on Management Businesses Organisation and Innovation (IMBAC2018), (Barcelona, Spain, 2018).
- 2018 Certificate of Achievement in Applied Business Collaboration, Center for Global Enterprise, USA, for Texas Capital Bank Alpha Team Project
- 2017 Paul R. Lawrence Fellow, Case Research Foundation and North American Case Research Association (NACRA), USA
- Best Paper Award in Organizational Psychology and Innovation theme, Global Innovation & Knowledge Academy (GIKA) conference (Lisbon, 2017)
- Best Paper Award, Australia-Middle East Conference on Business and Social Sciences (AMECBSS) 2016/Journal of Developing Areas (Dubai, 2016)
- 2016 International Visiting Fellow, Open University Business School, Milton Keynes, UK
- 2015 Certificate of Achievement in Applied Business Collaboration with a Distinction in Leadership Excellence, Center for Global Enterprise, USA and The London Taxi Company, U.K.
- Excellent Grade Certificate for completion – Certified Sales and Marketing Manager Programme of American Institute of Management Studies by Phoenix Educational Institute, Dubai, UAE (2014)
- Commemorative plaque presented by Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) in recognition of role as Discussant in its Year 2011 Business Clinic on Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). (2011)
INVITED SPEAKER ROLES
- Guest Speaker, UN theme – Invest in Women – Accelerate Progress, Tolaram, March 8, 2024
- Speaker/Presenter, AfSNET: The Journey So Far (Reflection on the Past, the Present, and Envisioning the Future). At the 3rd Conference of the African Sub-Sovereign Governments Network, Cairo, Egypt, November 14, 2024
- Guest Speaker, Building Brand “You” in 2023 and beyond. Women In Shell (WiS) International Women’s Day 2023 MASTERCLASS
- Guest Speaker, African Women & Tourism: Bridging the Gap to Success. Research Forum of The School of Events, Tourism & Hospitality. Leeds Beckett University (March 02, 2022)
- Keynote Speaker, Breaking the Bias (Gender): Transformational Journey – Professional and Personal Experience – African Capital Alliance. International Women’s Day (IWD) March 8, 2022
- Keynote Speaker, Center for Business & Industrial Marketing (CBIM 2022 online)
- Georgia State University (Atlanta, USA) 23 June 2022. Theme: Reimagining innovation in B2B Marketing and Sales: turbulent ecosystems, empowered buyers and runaway inflation
- Panelist, E-Commerce Opportunities in Nigeria, E-Commerce Webinar, Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, in partnership with Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, Nigeria and South Africa (September 2020)
- Guest Speaker, Skyline University College, Sharjah, UAE, on an invitation to discuss with faculty members “Research Process & Research Collaboration for publication in top-ranking journals” University Plaque presented by Vice-Chancellor (Sharjah, UAE, December 2019). https://www.skylineuniversity.ac.ae/events/internal/skyline-fdp-on-research-process
- Panelist, on invitation by The World Bank Group’s We-Fi (Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative) for the Freetown Forum on Women Entrepreneurship in Tourism (Freetown, Sierra Leone, November 2019) https://empoweringafricanwomen.com/freetown-forum-on-womens-entrepreneurship-in-tourism/
CONSULTANCY
- Strategic marketing and brand management advisory services to numerous firms, with a focus on the service sector, providing unique perspectives around growth advisory, management and strategic planning. Provided advisory services on women empowerment initiatives to private and international organisations, including, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), University of Pretoria. Presently a Consultant for Afreximbank, focusing on the African Sub-Sovereign Governments Network (AfSNET) Initiative
EDITORIAL ROLES AND BOARD APPOINTMENTS
- Independent Non-Executive Director, Cornerstone Insurance Plc., Nigeria
- Member, Business Administration Advisory Board, University of the People, California, USA
- Member, Governing Board, University of Kigali, Rwanda (Jan 2023- Dec 2023)
- Editorial Board Member, Tourism Planning and Development Journal
- Chairman, Leadership Challenge Foundation (LCF) https://leadershipcf.org/
- Series Editor, Palgrave Studies of Marketing in Emerging Economies,
- Focus on contemporary themes in marketing and marketing management research.
- Palgrave Macmillan https://www.springer.com/series/16591
- Team Lead (Sub-Group), Sector MasterPlan Strategy SubGroup, Tourism and Hospitality Industries Thematic Group, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG)
PROJECTS/GRANTS (2018 TO DATE)
- Co-applicant: 2024 New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) Joint Grant with São Paulo Research Foundation and UK Research & Innovation – “Building Resilience: How Conservation Agriculture Can Help Smallholder Women Farmers Adapt to Climate Change.” Total Grant Award: $718, 125
- National Consultant, International Labour Office (ILO) – Women Entrepreneurship Development (WED) project in Nigeria (2022)
- Independent Contractor/Consultant GIBS Business School (Gordon Institute of Business Science)
- Development of the ‘Building Africa Report (BAR)’ with a focus on Women and Inclusion in Cement, Concrete and Construction (CCC) industries in Africa (See p 63: Cementing Inclusivity) https://mags.contactmedia.co.za/ppc/gibs-buildingafricareport2022/ (2022)
- Co-Investigator. Framework for Modernizing and Upgrading Nigeria’s Traditional Process under Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) Grant (2020-2022)
- Co-Investigator (Nigeria), Women’s entrepreneurial journeys through tourism in sub-Saharan Africa. Q.R. Global Challenges Research Fund (QR GCRF) with Primary Investigator/Team Lead from University of Surrey (2018 -2020)
- Country Lead (Nigeria), Savings Group for Africa (SG4Africa) – Research on Women Empowerment, Inclusiveness, Urban and Rural Intervention. http://sg4africa.org/ (2018- 2021)
- Team Member (Nigeria), I.T. for Change. Project Title: Towards inclusive platformization in Nigeria https://itforchange.net/platformpolitics/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Nigeria-Policy-Overview.pdf (I.T. for Change is based in Bangalore, India, and is in special consultative status with the United Nations ECOSOC) (2018 -2019)
Alpha Team Member, Centre for Global Enterprise (2015, 2018 & 2021)
- Project: Dusit Hotels & Resort, Thailand
- Virtual Consultancy/Internship Project of The Center for Global Enterprise (CGE), helping the Dusit hotel chain envision the future of the post-Covid Hospitality industry in Asia and beyond (2021-2022)
- Project: Texas Capital Bank (TCB), USA
- Virtual Consultancy/Internship Project of The Center for Global Enterprise (CGE), helping TCB identify new private wealth management services to attract the Millennial Generation (2018)
- Project: London Taxi Company (LTC), U.K.
- Virtual Consultancy/Internship Project of The Center for Global Enterprise (CGE), helping LTC envision the future of the Taxi business by 2025 (2015)